Jill Biden, Breast Self-Exams and "Proper Breast Health": The Right Emphasis for High School Girls?

Jill Biden, wife of Senator Joe Biden, has entered the spotlight in a big way.

Following yesterday's announcement that her husband was Obama's pick for vice president, the New York Times profiled the couple in a flattering love story that emphasized Jill's beauty and brains: "[Y]ou might call her drop-dead gorgeous"; Jill Biden (aka Dr. Jacobs-Biden) also has "multiple degrees," including a doctorate in education, according to the profile.

Read enough of the glowing, preliminary profiles of Jill Biden, and you'll be able to pick out a familiar refrain:

Jill Biden is a hottie.

Jill Biden is a smartie.

Jill Biden cares about breast health and early detection of breast cancer.

The problem for Jill Biden during this odd period before the Democratic National Convention -- when the camera bulbs are flashing, but she hasn't had a chance to speak yet at length -- is that her breast health website is making her look kinda dumb. Or maybe just uninformed and outdated. It looks like the educator needs to update her curriculum.

Check out the Biden Breast Health Initiative. The New York Times yesterday summarized the nonprofit's mission as "educating high school girls in Delaware about proper breast health (emphasis added)."

But, with a focus on breast self-exams, which have been shown to have no effect on decreasing death from breast cancer, it's hard to call the Biden Breast Health Initiative's approach to health education proper. The American Cancer Society revised its guidelines five years ago and no longer recommends monthly breast self-exams.

According to Jill Biden's breast health website, the program was revamped in 2000 to better teach high school girls in Delaware:

(1) about breast health (2) how/when/why to do breast self-exam (BSE), (3) how to make healthy lifestyle choices and (4) to point out the importance of each in a commitment to a healthy future.

Granted, there's a lot more going on here than simply teaching teenaged girls in Delaware about breast self-exams. But, that is not the message that Jill Biden has sent after her husband threw his hat into the ring.

Although the Biden Breast Health Initiative website has not been updated since 2006, this is not just about a website that hasn't been updated recently.

In a 2007 interview with Time magazine, Jill Biden singled out education and health as signature issues, again emphasizing breast self-exams:

"[E]ducation is not just about reading, writing and arithmetic - it's about teaching our children how to keep themselves healthy. So, my focus would include teaching about health issues like obesity, the dangers of smoking and educating young girls about breast cancer and the importance of self exams."

Jill Biden, tell us more about your impressive accomplishments and goals in the area of breast health. Tell us more about your thoughts on breast self-exams, early detection and an overarching approach to women's health. You have the spotlight. We're listening. What's stopping you?